Direct Messaging remains somewhat of an untapped resource within Twitter. Making it more prominent could allow it to rival the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger as a portal where interactions can be kept private.

At a recent earnings call CEO Dick Costolo said: "When you think about the best international opportunity, there's a real opportunity for us when we think about our private messaging to strengthen the core of our Twitter product by making it easier for users to move more fluidly between the public conversation that happens everywhere on Twitter and the private conversation between you and a friend or you and a few friends."